3 Classic Rock Three-Hit Wonders From the 1990s That Should Have Kept Charting

One-hit wonders were abundant in the 1990s, and a lot of them, more or less, deserved that label. That’s not to dunk on one-hit wonders; I certainly don’t have any songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, so who am I to judge? That being said, some one-hit wonders really didn’t deserve their lack of charting success. Let’s take a look at three classic rock bands and musicians from the 1990s who are technically one-hit wonders, but produced work that definitely deserved to rank higher on that very chart.

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Chris Isaak

Chris Isaak was around before the 1990s, but his only mainstream hit came about in that decade. This entry has always rubbed me the wrong way. Isaak is a very unique singer who many would credit with helping to revive rockabilly in the late 20th century. And yet, his only major hit on the Hot 100 was “Wicked Game”, released in 1990. 

“Somebody’s Crying” from 1995 also charted, but not in the Top 40. Almost all of his albums from the 1980s through the 2010s made it to the Billboard 200, so what’s the deal with his singles not charting? I don’t get it!

L.A. Guns

This one kind of surprised me. I assumed that glam metal outfit L.A. Guns, more or less an early offshoot of Guns N’ Roses, had quite a few hits under their collective glam belts. That apparently wasn’t the case. Their only single to make it to the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart was the 1989 ballad “The Ballad Of Jayne”, which peaked at No. 33. 

“It’s Over Now” from 1991 made it to the chart, but not to the Top 40. Honestly, so much of their work is solid and maintained that glam metal vibe through the years; it’s a little surprising that they didn’t have more mainstream success. Even their later work, like The Missing Peace from 2017, is quite good.

Michael Penn

Remember Michael Penn? This alternative pop and rock musician is best known for the 1989 hit “No Myth”, which catapulted to the Top 20 of the Hot 100 by the time 1990 rolled around. Unfortunately, Penn makes it to our list of one-hit wonders from the 1990s because that very song was his only single to reach the Top 40 of the Hot 100. 

Penn continued with his music career through the 1990s, with a couple of releases in the 2000s. Today, he focuses more on producing film scores, such as scores for movies like Hollywood Stargirl from 2022 and the Showtime series Masters Of Sex.

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